Party Games...

You just can't beat the classic Donkey game. Pick up a kit from Lark, it even comes complete with red bandana for blindfolding!

How about these classic Miracle Fish from Hey Yo Yo. I used to love watching these little wrigglers flip on my palm

Or how about a party pencil from Present & Correct for a gift? Fill it with crafty loot and get your pals creating!

We all love Pinata's but how do we feel about ALL those sweet treats falling to the ground? Why not dilute the lolly count and pack your Pinata with some non-food items. How about mini crayons, stickers, kazoos, or some good old fashioned spinning tops? Avoid the plastic and keep things lightweight, but don't forget to include some lollypops at least, as no sweets in a Pinata is like a party with no cake!

via Oh Dee Doh and Notebook magazine

Come to my Party

The eldest Brother Trimm will be turning three next month and we have decided an official party is in order. With my head full of festive ideas I thought it would be fun to share what I'm gleaning. And if it's not birthday season with you just yet, we'll be adding a new label to our posts for your future reference. So stay awhile you're welcome to join us for cake!
To start off the celebrations, here's a really terrific idea for a themed party. (Terrific, now that's a word we just don't use enough of these days!) Our lovely new friend Jennifer at Classic Play - a must bookmark site from the creator of Ellie Bellie Kids, was given the rather challenging task of creating an Ewok-themed party for her five year old.
But with a little determination and some super creative help, just look at the results. I am totally inspired and have already taken notes for our July jamboree.

Images taken by Dave K Cooper:
From the top:
Stormtroopers made from coffee cans decorate the 'central command'
Brave party-goers trek the forest in search of hidden Stormtroopers
Cuddly Ewoks, all handmade, are home time gifts
Lego pod racers, designed by Dad, also await lucky party goers

Mork calling Orson...

Come in Orson...Unleash your inner alien with these super cool rainbow braces from Smelly Welly

And while you're at it, how about making some jelly to match this weekend and just go colour crazy!! Here's how. Have fun!!

via Swiss Miss

Wonderful Wallpaper

If you're like us and fans of all things paper, then sneak a peak at what we've discovered for your boys bedrooms. Tired of robots and cowboys? Well the talented crew at Turkish Studio Nommo will help cover your walls with the most impressive (to say the least) illustrations. Ooh but how do you choose??? Well you can select from their pattern range, their bespoke line or send them your own creation and have your own original covering! AND they ship worldwide. Did I mention they also do wall stickers? We're sold!

Family Portrait

Imagine taking time out, standing in the same pose, on the same day of every year to record your family. No matter where, no matter how, just taking a camera and staring down the lens. Well Argentinean photographer Diego Goldberg, his wife Susy and their three boys have ritually had the same photo taken, each year since 1976, and created a chronological family portrait. It's fascinating and quite confronting to see how each family member changes each year. What a fascinatingly bonding project. Are you game?

With thanks to Present and Correct

iRobot

I.Am.A.Robot.
I.Can.Give.You.Messages
Cut.And.Fold.Me
We love Max and want him to join our Brothers Trimm Brigade! C'Mon Max, we'll look after you! You can find him and some more of his friends at My Rocking Wardrobe. A cute way to send your bestie a message or just keep for your next Space Exploration. Be quick, they're disappearing fast!

http://www.myrockingwardrobe.com/images/large/rex1.jpg

Happy Fathers Day

I'm sure you've been inundated with Fathers Day gift ideas already, so I've decided not to add to the overwhelming amount of BUY ME marketing! Instead, do what we did last weekend and head to some water, fish for a some good round stones and have a nice old fashioned game of stone skipping. It's simply heaven for  boys, big and small.
Have a great weekend everyone, and to all our Dads up in the Northern Hemisphere. We love you xx

Photo by Stueveshots via The Pioneer Woman

Brotherly Love

How could we go past this story of sibling rivalry! The Vegetable Ark: A Tale of Two Brothers is a humorous twist on the original Noah's Ark story. Noah has a brother called Neil and both are very different. Noah is a wealthy show off, Neil hums songs about peace. When it rains for forty days and forty nights, the race is on to find land; brother on brother, ark on boat, rack of lamb on bean! Sounds like a cracker right?! It's published by Allen & Unwin, due out in August and our lovely local bookstore, Fullers in Hobart highly recommends it.

Although the image is a little blurry, you get the picture...

Name that Book

Isn't it a nuisance when you lend a book then forget where it went? Or worse still it doesn't get returned? Well to help you keep your books in check here are some of the latest versions of the traditional book plate.

The quintessentially classic stationery masters Cavallini & Co have recreated vintage maps of Italy to adorn your precious pages. If your young chappy is fond of all things old school, well maybe you could treat him to a set of these. You can find them on special at Notemaker here in Australia!

One of Britain's best loved and most successful illustrators, Quentin Blake (he of Roald Dahl fame) has a fun Kids Do It section on his website. He has created three hilarious bookplate designs that are all completely FREE!

And if stamping is more your thing, then why not pick up one of these super sweet book plate stamps from our friends at Monkeytail and Wellington. They have just arrived and I know our eldest Brothers Trimm would just love to practice his stamping techniques with these little beauties.

Follow the Line

With what is accidentally turning into a book-filled week, I'd like to share another lovely find thanks to Babyology. If you are in need of a read that will keep multiple ages engaged then look no further than Follow the Line. The three book series by Swedish author/illustrator Laura Ljungkvist, leaves you in a heavenly colour induced coma, with each page graphically tantalizing your visual taste buds. The clever 'line' in question carries the child's interest through such places as outer space, the animal kingdom and the humble kitchen, with Ljungkvist's crafty questions hidden along the way. With each book costing under $20, it's a definite library addition for us!

Rae of Sunshine

Here's some lovely crafting inspiration from Rae Grant. For those of us juggling work, a family, blogging and budgets, Homemade Fun is full of classic activities, suitable for rainy days, after school play and even the campsite! Take some time to visit her equally inspiring blog, My Little Hen, it's a treasure trove of loveliness

Finally, something audible

When the cost of reading really can be off-putting in this country and all hands are on your favourite book at the library, why not try audible.com, where for less than the price of one store bought book, you can download your favourite story for keeps. With over 6000 kids titles, it's such a great alternative for school runs, lonnnnng summer car journeys and even at bedtime!

3..2..1..BLAST OFF!

To round off the week, here's a lovely English company that echoes The Brothers Trimm philosophy. The Little Experience champions good olde-fashioned, thought-provoking activities that stimulate receptive imaginations whilst encouraging plenty of parent/child interaction. Hooray! Look at their super-cool Build a Rocket kit, a touch slicker than our home-made version, and a little more robust I would imagine too! Monsters, Robots, and Steam Boats, are all ready and waiting to be built by nimble fingers, so what are you waiting for?You can find them online or through their various international stockists. Do contact them if your country is not shown as I noticed no Australian stockists!

Tooth Brush Tricks

We mentioned our latest music obsession in yesterday's post. I thought we'd share with you why we like Lah Lah and her band so much. Despite her good looks and charm, the boys are also rather fascinated by the dancing double bass, singing saxophone and accordion that sneezes when he squeezes!  Lah-Lah  is a fantastical musical group that introduces children to the magical world of music. Featuring a variety of styles from pop, jazz and world music to a touch of Mozart, parents will have to admit to swinging their kids around the living room to such catchy tunes as Shake It Like This and the fabulously instructive Brush Your Teeth! So if you are having problems cleaning those canines, grab yourself a copy today!
Lah Lah can also be seen on Nick Jr, if you need a little TV fix.

Rapid Rockets

Do you need a quick entertainment fix? Here's how to make a rocket in 5 minutes (or maybe 6), Brothers Trimm style!

1. Put on some music. We listened to our latest obsession, Lah Lah's Big Live Band
2. Grab tinfoil, scissors, empty plastic bottle/ long toilet roll, glue, coloured paper.
3. Cut piece of tinfoil to fit bottle/roll
4. Glue one to the other (boys are very good at helping here!)
5. Cut out window and door (any shape) from coloured paper and stick!
6. Cut 3 triangular shapes from coloured paper and make fold along longest edge.
7. Glue this fold to 3 sides of rocket to create the very important 'stabiliser fins'
8. If you are finished in warp speed, cover a smaller toilet roll or thinner object to top of bottle, using tin foil. This can be your rocket nose ( that's what we did below). Not totally necessary but an authentic addition!
9. Get ready for lift off!!

The beauty of this is that although the rocket looks more like a tin foiled bottle than an actual launcher, our boys thought this was the best rocket they had EVER seen and so enjoyed a whole morning whizzing through the house  playing 'To Infinity and Beyond!! Ah the power of the imagination...

Me and My Shadow

Nurturing your boys imagination is so valuable and precious. When you stumble across something that develops, expands, entertains and lends an air of nostalgia to the experience, well, you can't really beat that, now can you?
The super-cool Monkeytail and Wellington - remember our lovely friends who we collaborated with during their recent music month? - well, they offer a collection of tremendous Shadow Puppetry that is all Victoriana with a big tablespoon of today. Dinosaurs, Robots, Owls and Yeti's are all handsomely laser-cut using durable black mat board.Get the theatre screen and hey presto, an instant stage is set! Let your boys imagination loose and when done, display these gems on a shelf for everlasting visual delight.

Ball Games

In the spirit of the upcoming World Cup, why not 'kick' start your week with a roll of Magis football tape. OK so you won't end up with a perfect sphere, but hey, who need's perfection? If it's the day you forgot the ball and you happen to have some old paper lying around, then make sure you have a roll of this stuff handy, get wrapping and rolling, and hey presto, problem solved. And you're recycling to boot. Now that's a good score!

Something for the Weekend

If you loved The Borrowers and The Famous Five, then you'll certainly want to add Ripping Things To Do, to your boys library. Written by Jane Brocket, this is a gem of nostalgia where games, recipes and adventure skills are brought to life, straight from your favourite storybooks. With step by step illustrations for the more practical projects, like building a treehouse or learning semaphore, and delightful introductions to the stories that inspired each adventure, you and your kids can rediscover exactly what was so great about the books from your childhood. It is guaranteed to banish boredom, and have you reliving those Saturday afternoon adventures of yesteryear. Tally Ho!

Upon a Fold

If like me, you have a penchant for paper, look no further than the glorious Upon a Fold online store. If your little guy is keen on paper planes, origami or likes to send Grandma a present with a difference, then can I please recommend the following...
The Magical Menagerie is the cutest collection of 20 different animal illustrations that are flat packed, ready to pop out and slot together. No scissors or glue, hooray! Each animal comes with their very own envelope so you can send to that someone special, or you can keep it and create your very own paper zoo.

Tired of boring old floppy paper planes? Well Flokk Colour Wings will dazzle the skies with their fluoro gliding gusto! They even come with a rubber catapult set. Up, up and away!

If your little brother is a dab hand at paper folding then why not expand his repertoire with a copy of Origami Basics;, a fun and easy guide to making your own origami creations. Hey why not let the whole family get in on the act! Ideal for rainy days.

And if that just wasn't enough and the Flokk Gliders didn't quite satisfy the flying hunger, well have a look at Paper Pilot. A paper plane history book and paper plane kit all in one.There’s even a four-page fold-out runway so the aircraft have a place to takeoff and land! So really, it's a father and son 'Make and Do' dream, right!

There are just so many gorgeous things available, I promise, it'll be tough going not to make a purchase!

Ruka Ruka

My global sources have led me to the lovely Ruka Ruka Print Studio, and what a smashing find. A London based family studio, specializing in custom art prints, T-shirts and ceramics, Ruka Ruka uses colour-a-plenty, and hits the vibrant mark with a big happy splash. Have a peek at their bold and bright London scenes, which  can be personalised, and I'm sure if we asked them nicely, could expand to suit some other cities too?!
Our sure favourites are the Alphabet Patchwork, oozing nostalgia and home-spun comfort, plus the playful, lyrical homage to one of our Top 10 reads, Where the Wild Things Are.